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By Jonathan Crouch

The BYD Sealion 5 U DM-i broadens the PHEV options in the Chinese maker's line-up. Jonathan Crouch checks out this mid-sized Plug-in Hybrid SUV.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 54

Chinese maker BYD further establishes its growing position in the mid-sized SUV Plug-in Hybrid market with a second potentially more affordable model, the Sealion 5 U DM-i. There's everything here you need from a car this kind and nothing you don't - at a cheaper price than you might expect to have to pay.

Backgroundword count: 255

BYD seems like an unstoppable force. It's still Britain's fastest-growing car maker and globally, it now sells more EVs than Tesla. In our market though, with its hesitating electric transition, the bigger BYD emphasis is now on PHEVs, with the Seal U DM-i mid-sized Plug-in Hybrid SUV one of the company's biggest sellers. Encouraging the brand to add in a couple of PHEV products above it - the Seal 6 U DM-i saloon and tourer estate. And a couple more below it - the Atto 2 DM-i compact SUV and the car a look at here, the more mid-sized Sealion 5 U DM-i. If you're wondering, as we were, why the company needs two separate mid-sized SUVs with PHEV power, drilling down into the detail reveals some of the answers. The Sealion 5 U DM-i is available with a smaller-battery version of the 1.5-litre PHEV powertrain used by its Seal equivalent, which allows this Sealion to offer a significantly lower entry-level price. With that 13kWh 'Comfort'-spec base Sealion 5 model, BYD can target cheaper contenders in this class like PHEV versions of the MG HS and the Citroen C5 Aircross. Leaving the Seal U DM-i more targeted against pricier mid-sized SUV Plug-in Hybrids like the Volkswagen Tiguan eHybrid and the Ford Kuga PHEV. Go for that base Sealion 5 U DM-i and potentially, you can get yourself a family PHEV crossover for the price other brands will charge for drive technology you can't plug in. Sounds like a good approach. Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experienceword count: 254

As you'd expect, the Sealion 5 U DM-i uses broadly the same 1.5-litre petrol PHEV system as the brand's Seal U DM-i - though there are small differences. Most versions of the equivalent Seal are sold with broadly the same 18kWh 209bhp powertrain that most Sealion 5 U DM-i customers will also want. Range is 53 miles. Unlike the equivalent Seal, this car can't offer this PHEV powertrain in its longer-ranging 26.6kWh form. But the Sealion 5 U DM-i does exclusively offer a smaller-battery 13kWh option (with the same drive motor), though with that, EV range falls to just 38 miles. The 1.5-litre powertrain in play here is one of those PHEV units where nearly all of the grunt comes from the electric motor. The four cylinder petrol unit contributes just 95bhp and is content to be unused most of the time, chipping in unobtrusively when necessary. So it's quite an EV-like driving experience - though not an especially engaging one, with light feel-less steering. The all-independent suspension is reasonably supple and drive always goes to the front wheels. Refinement is excellent as the two power sources blend seamlessly. The intrusive nature of the various ADAS systems isn't, so try before you buy. With 300Nm of torque, 0-62mph takes 8.1s for the 18kWh model and 7.7s for the lighter 13kWh version. Top speed either way is 106mph. There are four drive modes - Eco, Normal, Sport and Snow - and two selectable levels of regenerative braking, neither of them of the aggressive 'one-pedal' variety.

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